Egg quality and endoparasite prevalence in free range chicken farming in Apodi and Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Marcelle Santana De Araújo,Francisco Marlon Carneiro Feijó,Nícolas Lima Silva,Paulo Victor Perez Maia,Palloma Vitória Carlos De Oliveira,Claudionor Antonio Dos Santos Filho,Ana Carla Diógenes Suassuna Bezerra,Leandro Alves Da Silva,Bruno Vinicios Silva De Araújo,Nayane Valente Batista

doi:10.33448/rsd-v9i9.7875

Abstract

The objective of this work was to assess the production quality of free-range eggs in the municipalities of Apodi and Mossoró, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The microbiological and physical quality of the eggs and the endoparasite prevalence in the chickens were used as parameters. The egg microbiological evaluation consisted of the detection and quantification of total and thermotolerant coliforms, mesophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella sp. The eggs were classified according to their weight, yolk color, yolk pH, albumen pH, Haugh unit, yolk index, and shell thickness. The parasitological analyses consisted of collection of fresh excreta and application of the spontaneous sedimentation technique by the Hoffmann method and the Faust flotation method to identify the parasites. All egg samples were negative for total and thermotolerant coliforms, mesophilic bacteria, and Salmonella sp. Regarding the physical quality, the eggs presented good yolk pigmentation and good internal and external quality. Regarding the parasitic load of the chickens, the presence of Eimeria sp. and Heterakis sp. was significantly higher in months with average precipitation greater than 100 mm; and in months with average relative air humidity above 80%, there was prevalence of Ascaris sp. parasites.

Highlights

IntroductionFree-range chicken is usually reared in extensive system, with no facilities or proper management practices to meet the animals' nutritional, reproductive, and sanitary requirements
Chicken rearing is practiced in approximately 80% of family farms (Sobral et al, 2010); and has a promising market because the supply of this type of products do not meet the demand.Free-range chicken is usually reared in extensive system, with no facilities or proper management practices to meet the animals' nutritional, reproductive, and sanitary requirements
The eggs were collected on the same day of laying, placed in isothermal boxes, and taken to the Veterinary Microbiology Laboratory of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region (UFERSA) for quantification of total and thermotolerant coliforms, mesophilic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella sp., following the methodology described in BRASIL (2003)

Summary

Introduction

Free-range chicken is usually reared in extensive system, with no facilities or proper management practices to meet the animals' nutritional, reproductive, and sanitary requirements. Egg is an important product from free-range chicken farming; its characteristics make it a suitable medium for microorganism proliferation, requiring special care to maintain its safety (Rêgo et al, 2012). The quality of this product may be affected by several factors, such as the chicken lineage, age, and diet, and the storage time (Barbosa et al, 2012). A set of characteristics is evaluated, which influence consumers' preferences, whether due to nutritional, sensory, or health attributes (Freitas et al, 2011)

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